Don’t worry; changes will be minimal

At first I was a little worried that replacing Connex and Yarra Trams might have the effect of prompting much-needed reform of the State’s badly-run, under-resourced public transport system. And then I remembered that Lynne “I don’t want to run a train system” Kosky is still in charge, and the government of which she’s a part still has no intention of allocating sufficient resources to the network to fix it, and those fears dissipated.

One of those awful things Kosky just wishes people would stop talking to her about.

Finally, someone else to divert blame away from a Minister who, frankly, has better things to worry about than the content of her portfolio. Three cheers for Patsy #2!

“The Opposition have no policies on improving public transport,” Ms Kosky said.

“They carp and whinge and moan while we are getting on with the job of building new tracks, ordering more trains and trams through the $38 billion Victorian Transport Plan.”

New tracks? What, that minor line extension that’s years late? Where are the new lines to major population centres, or the new trains? And in what parallel universe is saying you’re better than the Liberals really all that much consolation to Melbourne’s long-suffering commuters?

Shorter Kosky: “As long as I am marginally better than the alternative, I am doing my job well.”

Interesting PT academic on 774 this morning, Meesen(?) who said that the bureaucrats who advised Kennett on privatisation are still in PT advising Kosky. They will not admit that the model they suggested may have flaws, so the deck chairs are swapped while the model remains.

Plus Kosky will not take external advice, so there is little hope of alternatives being considered.